Picture Perfect
by Otaku Tess
Summary: Well, this is my first fic. I wrote it in one night.... But I still liked the basic idea. Uhm. Yeah. Snake and Otacon get each other a gift to help each other deal with their lost loves.


**_Disclaimer:_** Metal Gear Solid belongs to Hideo Kojima-Sama and Konami. Not me. Though I wish I owned Otacon, because I seriously have a eechi fetish for gangly geniuses with glasses. But... that's probably TMI...**  
**

  
  
Picture Perfect  
By: Otaku Tess  
_  
  
  
"Never made it as a wise man  
I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealin'  
Tired of livin' like a blind man  
I'm sick of sight without a sense of feeling...  
This is how you remind me  
This is how you remind me of what I really am..."  
_- NICKELBACK  


  
  
"Pictures speak 1000 words." I said hopefully as David opened his present. I wasn't exactly sure how he'd react to it... I wanted to give him something in honor of his new life -- of our new life, but I ended up getting him something to help him remember the end of his old one. The thing that changed his life.  
  
"..." He answered, turning away to look at his present. I heard the crumpling of the crepe paper as he pulled the item the rest of the way out of the bag, looking at it silently.  
  
"I'm sorry--"  
  
"No." David interrupted, "Uhm. Thank you. But...uhm..." Another long pause.  
  
" ... hm?" I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder, pausing to readjust my glasses.  
  
"...Why... Did you give me this?"  
  
I cocked my head, looking down. Dammit. World renowned scientific genius, and I didn't even_ think_ this might upset him! "I'm sorry. I should have thought...."  
  
He turned to me, and blinked. "It's all right. It's a good present... I just-- I didn't get you anything." He added. I could tell he was uncomfortable.  
  
I feel like such a screw up sometimes.  
  
"It's all right." I said, this time. "This was for you. It's just-- I didn't know what else to get you... I tried to think of something that would remind you of your new life...--- I guess I kinda screwed it up, huhn?" I asked, looking away.  
  
"Well, mmm..."  
  
I winced. David pause, I knew he could tell my feelings were hurt. Not a lot gets past him...  
  
"--It's a fine present." He said, in an attempt to be good-naturedly. "I need to find someplace safe to put it." He added hastily, getting up and heading to his room with the small picture frame, held with surprising delicacy in his large battle-worn hand.  
  
"Meryl would have wanted you to have it." I added to myself, after the door shut.  
  


~*~  
  


David -- AKA Solid Snake -- and I have been staying at my house while we work on forming our brainchild, an Anti-Metal Gear Organization. The Organization is in it's fledgling stage, but I feel that it has potential to grow and become recognized. --Right after we come up with a good name for it. Currently I'm stuck for ideas.  
  
Any Ideas.  
  
I can hardly work.  
  
I was trying to work, trying to find some information on any new Metal Gear projects... I was coming up with moot -- of course ... it doesn't help that David hasn't come out of his room since the other night. It's getting on 24 hours he's been in there. I was beginning to worry, but I don't want to bother him.... I've probably done enough already. _ He'll come out when he feels like it._ I reassured myself, as I rolled across the hardwood floor on my little computer chair, from my PC to my lap top which was sitting on the kitchen table. _Not much of a table. _I thought. _ Can't see the table anymore. Only the disarray of papers all over it. _I sighed. "We need to get organized." I said to myself as the front door opened.  
  
I whirled around in surprise, the wheels of my chair buzzing across the floor. "Who's there??" I stuttered, attempting to -- at the very least -- cover up my computer screens as the files I was looking at were not exactly public.  
  
"It's me." A gruff voice answered, as the door shut.  
  
"Where have you been!" I said, pointing to his bedroom door in surprise. "How did you---" I remembered to whom I was speaking, "Never mind."  
  
David smiled slightly, "I... uhh... I got you something." He explained, producing a what appeared to be picture frame for a poster, though I could not see the picture because he had it tuned away from me.  
  
I blushed slightly, embarrassed. "Th-thank you." I uttered, as he turned it around.  
It was a framed poster of a white wolf looking out indifferently, but good-naturedly, from a snowdrift, a litter of young pups behind her. I felt my face falter as I burst out with another, and this time more zealous "thank you."  
  
"To remember..." David said timidly, after a pause.  
  
"To remember by..." I added, "But not ruled by..." I paused, taking the poster in my hands, and caring it into my room, leaving the door opened for Dave to follow, which he did after a a minute.  
  
When he came in I'd just finished putting it up on my wall. It fit perfectly above my book shelf.  
  
"Like you said. I wanted to get you something for your new life... But this seemed better. 'Specially after what you gave me." Dave said, looking at the picture.  
  
"This is beautiful, David-- I wish she could--..." I stopped short with a sigh. "Starting anew doesn't mean forgetting the past." I said, answering my thoughts. "I suppose, it just means being able to let go of it."  
  
Dave nodded.  
  
There was a long silence as we looked at the picture.  
  
"What made you pick this one?" I asked, wondering if he saw what I saw.  
  
"Well... There were a few like it..." Dave admitted. "It just seemed to be the one you would pick if you had been there..."  
  
"...Oh..." I sighed.  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"It's just... -- Well, I wondered if you see what I see."  
  
"What _do_ you see?" Dave asked, glancing over at me.  
  
"Well. See. It's looking out at us. Calm, though. We're not it's pray. It actually appears to enjoy our presence here. See?" I pointed, "It's smiling...-- But not cruelly the way wolves sometimes do... And ... it's protecting its pups too. See... It feels that we won't harm her or her pups... But it's alert enough to attack us if we did. She, ah... She's had a hard life. The winter is bitter, and everyday it threatens the lives of her or her pups. She's been caught in a deceptively peaceful moment. She may be curious as to why we are so interested in it ... but ... she really ... is just ... indifferent--" I said, the last cut off by a choked sob. "Thank you, David." I squeaked, throwing my arms around him. "If only you knew her. If only... I'd known her... If only _she'd_ known her..."  
  
David obviously didn't know exactly what to do, but I felt him sort of pat me on the back.  
He's a lot bigger than me. I felt truly small and fragile there. I let go.  
  
"Sorry." I said, hastily, after regaining control of my emotions. I sat down on my bed, looking over at David.  
  
"..."  
  
"I don't know what I was thinking." I said. "..."  
  
"...Give it time." Dave said, giving me a wave as he turned his back to walk out, leaving me alone with the poster and my thoughts.  
  
I still don't know exactly what he meant by that, but I know that I'll always remember it when I need to cope with something.  
"Give it time."  
  
  
NOTES: _I don't know about the song quote... I mean, I don't really allude to the quote used there... So, I'm gonna have to count on the quote speaking for itself. I don't want this to be a song fic... So I'm just gonna leave the quote alone, and let it do the work... Take the song lyrics however you want to. Interpret their meaning to you're own liking.  
This is also my first REAL Metal Gear fan fic... And the ending isn't as good as I would have liked... But it came out fine when I read through it, so I guess I'll live, eh? ^_^V_


End file.
